The Fire You Can't Inherit: Preparing the Heart for Rosh Hashanah

When the Jewish people blow the shofar, Hashem sits on the Kisse Rachamim, the Throne of Mercy.

Why do we blow the shofar? Because Hashem told us to. That is ultimately why we perform the mitzvah, or any mitzvah perhaps. The results may be tremendous, but the mitzvah itself is to hear the shofar simply because Hashem commanded us to do so.

The mitzvah is specifically to hear the shofar. For this reason, someone who is deaf is exempt and cannot fulfill the mitzvah of blowing the shofar for others.

But there is also a deeper hint contained within this positive mitzvah of hearing the shofar.

As time passes, a person can lose sight of the truth. Money, work, food, restaurants, travel and all the distractions of this world can slowly take over. Havlei hazman — the vanities of the world — can become the center of a person’s life.

A person can travel again and again, eat more, experience more and stay constantly occupied, yet forget the tachlit, the true purpose of life. Some people feel like if they didn't travel ten times this year, they can't breathe! People get so sucked into this world and the Gashmiyut, and it's never enough. 

He loses the tachlit of life.

And what ultimately comes from all of it??

Nothing.

A person does not take any of those things with him. But when a person connects to Hashem and connects to spirituality, that is something he does take with him.

How Does a Person Connect to Hashem?

Shlomo HaMelech wrote three books: Kohelet, Mishlei and Shir HaShirim.

Kohelet begins:

“Divrei Kohelet ben David, melech b’Yerushalayim.”

Mishlei identifies Shlomo as:

“Shlomo ben David, melech Yisrael.”

But Shir HaShirim begins simply:

“Shir HaShirim asher liShlomo.”

Why is David’s name not mentioned there?

This contains something very deep. There are many secrets here that we cannot fully understand.

Rabbi Akiva said that Shir HaShirim is Kodesh Kodashim, the Holy of Holies. Rabbi Eliezer ben Azarya taught that all of it is connected to Yirat Shamayim.

The first two books are books of wisdom. They contain tremendous chochmah and advice.

Shir HaShirim, however, is different. It brings a person to dveikut and connection with Hashem. It is not simply wisdom. It expresses something far deeper: hitlahavut — inner excitement, passion and intensity.

A person attaches himself to Hashem and connects with Hashem.

All of Shir HaShirim is built upon the dveikut between Am Yisrael and Hashem — the attachment of a person to his Creator.

The One Thing Your Parents Cannot Give You

There are many things people inherit from their parents: character traits, talents and different strengths.

When parents are talented, their children often inherit those abilities as well. A person may receive wisdom, talent, strength, beauty or physical characteristics from his parents.

But Rav Wosner ztz”l taught that there is one thing that cannot simply be inherited:

Hitlahavut.

Enthusiasm must come through a person’s own work.

You can see parents who are great tzaddikim, even Admorim, while their children do not necessarily have the same fire.

Why?

Because enthusiasm is personal work.

A father may be deeply excited about Torah while his son is not. That inner excitement is something a person must create within his own heart.

The fire of enthusiasm for Hashem is not something your father can simply hand over to you.

He may give you talent, wisdom and knowledge. But if you do not awaken yourself, nobody else can do it for you.

“Everything is in the hands of Heaven except fear of Heaven.”

Enthusiasm for a mitzvah and love for a mitzvah are not things a person receives automatically as an inheritance. They must be developed personally.

The wisdom and talents may come from one’s father. But the excitement about Torah must become one’s own.

This also helps explain the language of Shir HaShirim. Song comes from the heart. That inner enthusiasm cannot simply be transferred from parent to child.

“If I am not for myself, who will be for me?”

A person has to develop it.

Selichot requires enthusiasm.

Get up. Pray. Put effort into serving Hashem with joy.

If a person does not awaken himself, he will not succeed because no one else can do it for him.

A person needs both inner and outer enthusiasm. The heart and body must become connected.

This is part of the work of Elul: to awaken ourselves, reconnect with Hashem and ask Him for forgiveness.

Love Others the Way You Love Yourself

Another essential part of this work is learning to love one another.

The Torah says:

“Ve’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha” — “Love your fellow as yourself.”

What does “as yourself” mean?

A person naturally sees the negative qualities of other people. But what about his own negative qualities?

A person knows that he himself has flaws, yet he still wants to be loved.

That is the message of “Love your fellow as yourself.”

Just as you accept yourself despite your negative traits, accept and love others despite theirs.

Are you perfect?

No.

Neither is the other person.

Human nature is to notice what is lacking in others. Once we focus on those shortcomings, we can begin to dislike the person.

But we must remember that we also have shortcomings and negative traits.

A person sees faults everywhere except within himself. A person is naturally close to himself.

He sees the other person’s yetzer hara, lashon hara, anger or stinginess and says, “I don’t like him.”

But why are those faults so visible to you?

Perhaps because those traits also exist within you.

The reason you notice them can be because you have them as well. If they were completely foreign to you, you might not even notice them.

A person who has no concern whatsoever with violating Shabbat may not even notice certain violations around him. They are simply not shown to him in the same way.

Preparing for the Day of Judgment

We are approaching Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment — the day that determines what will happen throughout the coming year.

The events of the year are written on Rosh Hashanah.

Prepare yourself.

Do genuine teshuvah from your heart.

Awaken your own inner fire.

Reconnect to Hashem.

Learn to look beyond the faults of others.

And may we be zocheh in the judgment to rachamim!